xx back to black || raven

[»Image]

CHALANDRA

It was roughly midday when Chalandra was in the homestretch of her journey. The sun swung high above her head, turning everything a sharp hue of bright oranges and burnt yellows. The night before had been shaded in such deep blues and purples that the contrast suddenly seemed very fleeting. When placed against the rushing movement of the fall's water, the dry, stifling land that laid before her seemed even more desolate and unwelcoming than the few weeks that stretched behind her. What had brought her here?

"Never heard of him. Good luck with your search, though."

As soon as her mind reverberated the question, the white male's words came tumbling back to her. He hadn't the slightest clue who she was looking for. Great. Now he probably thinks I'm spoken for. Or I'm hunting down another male to cover tonight's slot. Grumbling inwardly, Chalandra padded slowly along, narrowing her eyes under the glare from above as she tried to distinguish anything around her. She'd heard rumors a while back that a pack lived here, started only recently by a new dominor. It was a long shot, but her intentions were clear in her mind: find Nirco.

Even if he didn't want her when they did reunite, even if he was just as hollow and uptight as before, she couldn't think of anything else to do with herself. The days had grown long in his absence and the loneliness from her trekking was beginning to bite at her heels. Being a loner had been easy at first--everything so new and inviting. All the sights and sounds of places she'd never seen before, much less imagined. And all the freedom in the world. She was more free than she'd ever been in life, and yet there was a certain hunger inside her ribs that refused to be sated. If nothing else but for her own sanity, Chalandra forced herself further into the desert terrain.

As the ground below her paws became unmistakably grainy, the silver she-wolf began to scent something different on the air. She padded hesitantly forward, leaning down to smell her surroundings. Whatever it was was a few days old. There wasn't much to go by, but from what she could tell, it seemed to be distinctly female. Either Nirco had found himself some company better than herself, or he wasn't here at all. Chalandra took a moment to sit rather uncomfortably on the semi-sand texture before barking a few cautious yips into the land before her. A howl seemed too demanding, but not giving any notice portrayed a sense of secrecy. The blue eyes surveyed the land carefully, waiting for the familiar figure to rise over the nearest hill and greet her. Then again, maybe no one lived here...

[/size]

[⋆Ravɛn]

SINEAD

[/font][/size]
Forget your high society, I'm soakin' it in Kerosene[/size][/font][/center]


The sun was, as always, relentless. It shed light on everything in Einheit, casting shadows across the hard, packed earth. Despite this, Sinead had adapted to the heat, learning how to stay cool and take advantage of the sweltering sun. The day found the alpha stretched out across the rock overhang that towered over the dens, shading the carved-out caves. This, along with the tiny spring that ran along the southern border, was the only source of relief in the pack land. Sinead, however, had come to enjoy the sun.

Yawning, she stretched and writhed, re-positioning her body to warm the other side of her pelt. Her eyes were squeezed shut against the rays of light, and behind closed lids, her mind wandered. She had been in this very same position for so long now, simply daydreaming, imagining the feel of lush grass between her toes and slick, cool water rolling off of her pelt. She dreamed of snow, of the cold bite that chilled down to the bone, of days so hot that lakes and oceans were a blessing. She dreamed of hunting, of hot blood on her lips and warm meat in her belly. She dreamed of nights spent beneath the moon and stars, curled safely in the embrace of a strong brute, his pelt smelling of earth and trees and comfort...

A volley of yips broke the silence, and in turn, Sinead's dreams.

Her bright eyes snapped open, her ears tipping forward. For a moment, she did not move. Then, with a sigh so great that it made her chest heave, Sinead rolled onto her stomach. Not a single soul had disturbed her when she had waited and wished for pack members to appear, but now, when she was trying to sunbathe and relax...now someone called for her. Pushing to her feet, the she-wolf shook spare flecks of dirt from her pelt, took a moment to groom herself, and then bounded down the narrow path of rocks to the flatland below. Then, after stretching her legs, she was off.

The whole while that Sinead leaped and bounded across Einheit, her mind wandered curiously. Who could possibly be calling for her now? A neighboring alpha, perhaps, coming to visit her just as she had visited Regnen not long ago? She was well aware of the dream-team couple that ruled over Irrsin - they were no concern to her anymore - but what of the new brute who had supposedly taken over Groavche? Rumor had it he was really something else. Maybe he's come to pay me a visit, if I'm lucky.

As it was, Sinead wasn't very lucky. As she bounded a mound of hard dirt, a slender, silvery figure came into view. The scent of the stranger reached her quickly, assuring the alpha that it was a female who had come calling. Obviously not the new alpha next door, but not the black she-wolf who ruled Irrsin, either. Interesting.

Sinead came to a halt at the top of the little mound, craning her head to look down at the she-wolf. She was pretty, Sinead supposed, her silvery pelt a sharp contrast to the reds and browns of the earth around them.

"What brings you to Einheit, stranger?"
[/blockquote][/size]

[»Image]

CHALANDRA

After a few moments of waiting silence, Chalandra was greeted by who she could only assume to be the pack's Alpha. She seemed an interesting choice for an alpha though, if that was the case. She wasn't incredibly tall, nor did she seem exactly muscular enough to hold the terrain against challengers. But, there were no other wolves with her, and her scent was identical to the scent on the grounds behind Chalandra. Distractedly, the silver she-wolf shot a narrowed glance behind the other female, as if looking for other wolves who were following. Nothing. The air was just as quiet and dry as when she'd arrived.

"What brings you to Einheit, stranger?"

Certainly not a vacation. The land felt utterly stifling and for a moment the world swirled before Chalandra before she forced herself to focus. She was here to find what she'd been lacking in her life for a while.

"I'm here on a search. I'm looking for a black male named Nirco."

Pausing, the blue eyes surveyed the lands in retrospect from where she'd journeyed since. To think that a pack lived here...

"Do you have any knowledge of him?"

Chalandra took a hesitant step forward, nerves beginning to final settle in. What if she didn't know who she was looking for? Where would she go next? Just keep running to different packs asking for the location of one wolf? Suddenly, the whole prospect of finding the male loomed before her. It was easily impossible that this method would work. She'd be better off talking to the Gods and reasoning her way back into his life through the powers they held.

Chalandra, feeling the dread pool in her stomach, looked desperately at Sinead. This emotional hurtle was exhausting. She hadn't felt this sincerely hopeless since she'd lost Hroth. The way they'd been separated at the Auktion Rock, torn from each other and placed in the hands of another. The thought of it made her blood curdle. He'd been the only thing that had protected her in such a defiant way. She missed him so much right now.

And then realized she'd never found her brother either. She was hopeless.

[/size]

[⋆Ravɛn]

SINEAD

[/font][/size][/center]


Patiently, Sinead watched as the strangers eyes moved over her frame, assessing. She was used to the sharp poking and prodding of judgmental eyes, and had long ago learned that she could do nothing to change it. Instead, the alpha stood proudly, her head lifted high and her eyes glued persistently to the silvery she-wolf. Somewhere in Einheit, Merona lurked, but Sinead hadn’t expected the mute female to come to the strangers call, with obvious reason. She tried her hardest to make Merona’s life as easy as she could; she rarely bothered her. The poor sklavin already had it bad enough. As selfish and cruel as Sinead could be on her worst of days, she had no desire to make life any more difficult for her.

"I'm here on a search. I'm looking for a black male named Nirco."

Nirco? Sinead frowned, running the name through her mind again and again. Was that the name of the brute who had claimed Groavche? It seemed familiar, in a way, but she couldn’t be sure. This female seemed familiar with him, whoever he was.

” Do you have any knowledge of him?"

Sinead shrugged, immediately back in her element. She made no move to place herself on level ground with this strange female; she had no reason to, especially now that Sinead knew she wasn’t potentially gaining a pack member. Instead, she held her position on the heightened mound, mulling over her thoughts.

”I don’t know if his name is Nirco,” she finally replied, as nonchalantly as she could manage. ”But there’s a new alpha whose claimed Groavche. Can’t quite remember his name. Big, dark furred…”

She paused here, slyly shifting her gaze to the she-wolf. How much did this vixen care for this Nirco? Sinead had been so bored lately, after all, and she always had loved playing off of her devious streak. Trying her hardest not to laugh, she shifted so that her hips jutted out suggestively, her beautiful eyes narrowing in a way that was unmistakably coy.

”Quite the stud, too, if my little birds don’t deceive me.” She paused a moment, wondering if she had hit a nerve yet, or how far she should push. It was cruel, and she knew it, but how could she resist when this unknown she-wolf had waltzed into Einheit? Her life had been particularly void of drama lately, anyways.

”If I was right about him, and you find him…maybe you should send him my way.” She paused, feigning realization and surprise. ”If you don’t mind, that is?”
[/blockquote][/size]

[»Image]

» C H A L A N D R A

<sub>”I don’t know if his name is Nirco, but there’s a new alpha whose claimed Groavche. Can’t quite remember his name. Big, dark furred…”

At the female's words, Chalandra's ears pricked forward excitedly. Even though Nirco had never outwardly expressed himself as an alpha, this had been the most recent lead on any wolf that was both large and black. Not much to go on, but what else did she have? Memories of the male swam in her vision and she tried vainly to picture Nirco at the head of a pack. It was a rough stretch, but it was all she needed right then. Almost too obviously, she already knew his presence would elude her here. She had to keep moving.

"Oh, thank you! So which way--"

”Quite the stud too, if my little birds don’t deceive me.”

Chalandra had made a motion to move, but the continuation from the other female made her fur stiffen. Slowly, the grey she-wolf turned back, her brow quirked with a hesitant question boiling at the back of her throat. Who in Eperna's name do you think you are?

”If I was right about him, and you find him…maybe you should send him my way. If you don’t mind, that is?”

Dumbfounded and growing increasingly irritated over the subject, Chalandra's ears flicked angrily. Almost instinctively, she bared her glimmering teeth and snarled deep in her chest. Did she mind? Of course she minded! And then, just as sharply as her first reaction, another part of her snarled back. He hasn't come looking for me. He made it painfully obvious that he didn't want me within a tail-length of him then or in the near future. Why should I care if she tries to win him over? She can't possibly be that much more successful than I was.

Whether or not she wanted to admit it, the female's words invoked a certain stinging attachment to Nirco that made her stomach squirm. The thought of Nirco finding company with a skimpy female like this one--Alpha material or not--made the silver female want to shread that stupid, little innocent suggestion right off her mouth. Chalandra vaguely realized how abrasive she was being over a male that wasn't strictly her. Then agian, at a time like this, she had to finally admit to herself the truth. No matter what she had said before, she knew now that she felt passionately for him. Her currently unrequited ardor for Nirco beat fervorishly in her heart and something inside her remembered the last time she'd seen him. The expression inside thudded amongst a variant of reasons not to care for the black brute, but the tender emotions were there nonetheless.

It was decision time. Narrowing her blue eyes, Chalandra paused dramatically as she sized the khaki-colored Alpha up once more.

"Besides the fact that he's already spoken for, I have a firm belief that he wouldn't exactly relish the company of a wolf of your...stature."

And then, adding a little more seduction and silk to her voice, Chalandra couldn't help but include another taunting insult. The blue eyes flickered dangerously and she stepped forward as she spoke, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret.

"Between the two of us, he likes his females with a little more curve and cajolery than you'd be able to provide him with anyways."

Chalandra, keeping her grin smoothly elegant, if not slightly prideful, turned to leave. Her hips swung noticeably, the silver fur glinting in the sunlight. The warmth in her chest was strong and she was ready to finally find Nirco. She knew what she wanted.</sub>

[⋆Ravɛn]

SINEAD

The moment that the she-wolf froze in her place, Sinead knew she had hit a nerve. The snarl that met her words was satisfying, and as the silvery stranger turned, Sinead couldn't help but flick a smirk in her direction.

"Besides the fact that he's already spoken for, I have a firm belief that he wouldn't exactly relish the company of a wolf of your...stature. Between the two of us, he likes his females with a little more curve and cajolery than you'd be able to provide him with anyways."

Immediately, Sinead felt her hackles raise. The nerve of this she-wolf, to strut into her territory, insult her, and then expect to walk freely away? Ha. There was something boiling in Sinead's very blood, something ripping at her chest, begging to be let out. These last few weeks had been so stressful, and now she had an excuse to relieve some of her pent up emotions. Lifting her own lips in a snarl, she shot back a reply before the arrogant vixen could take more than a few steps.

"If he's spoken for, my dear, why is it that you're looking for him...but he doesn't seem to be looking for you?" She chased her venomous words with a laugh so harsh and short that it was clearly meant to be demeaning. "Clearly your...what was it you said? 'Curve and cajole' didn't keep him very satisfied."

There was a warning in her voice, a soft, dangerous lilt that offered only a slight hint of Sinead's intentions. From her high position, she dug her claws into the dirt, bristling every inch of her khaki-colored fur that she could, narrowing her bright eyes, preparing herself. Words had not been enough to sate the anger; they were not enough to prove her position. She was a dominor, damn it, an alpha, and it was long past time that she proved it. Maybe then, wolves like the insufferable vixen before her would learn both their lesson, and their place. Maybe then her neighboring alphas would finally come to respect her name when it was presented in conversation, if nothing else.

A cloud of dust swirled around her as she crouched down, flexed her muscles, and then leaped forward with a viscous, ringing bark. In the distance, she was dimly aware of a murder of crows taking flight, startled by the sudden noise, but then the background faded and Sinead had eyes for only one target. How good it would feel to tear at the glimmering fur, to laugh in the face of those light blue eyes...suddenly, it was not a childish game anymore.

She crouched her body low as she sprinted, coming up on the she-wolf fast. And then, when she was only steps away she leaped, jaws opened, aimed for the scruff at the back of the stranger's neck. If she could grab her there, then Sinead could use what weight she had to force the slender body into the dirt, and then from that point...

I hope you like being a slave.

OoC: I know we discussed the whole plot thing beforehand but I still didn't wanna just control your characters or anything so I left it kind of open :3

[»Image]

» C H A L A N D R A

<sub>"If he's spoken for, my dear, why is it that you're looking for him...but he doesn't seem to be looking for you?"

Chalandra froze at the words. The glimmering outside world slowed, her motion to leave halted. Silence lapped at her ribs, her heartbeat threatening to stop completely. The other female had spoken aloud her own misgivings about Nirco's aloof behavior, and something inside the Chalandra shriveled at the possibility of truth that was buried within the female's retort.

"Clearly your...what was it you said? 'Curve and cajole' didn't keep him very satisfied."

There she was again. Relentless in her strike, the words cut ever deeper and the silver pelt remained further still in a mild, no-response state. Maybe what she said was true. Maybe Nirco hadn't needed or wanted her sexually charged nature. Maybe he hadn't honestly wanted that type of relationship from anyone, let alone her. Maybe she'd been wrong about him from the start. Chalandra, with her back to the land's alpha, felt herself slip amongst the solidarity she'd searched for in Nirco.

With her head cluttered around thoughts of a particular black brute, it came as a complete and wild surprise when a jaw forced itself upon Chalandra. Her eyes grew wide at the sudden noise behind her, but she hadn't the reaction time to counter or even evade the oncoming assault. The jaws locked and dragged Chalandra to the ground, with weight and bewilderment working in Sinead's favor like time itself--a sheer smoothness, a sense of consistency, an inevitable happening. The silver she-wolf growled deeply as she was snapped out of her musings; she could only stagger as the two of them first collided and further scrabbled for a paw-hold over the other.

Anxiety over being held down by the khaki-coated female kicked in, pushing Cha to snarl and bark loudly as she struggled against her oppressor. A ferocity she'd never experienced caught into a sudden blaze where a previous ball of ice over Nirco's indecision had laid. It's flames and fumes licked a blaze across her chest and through her ribs, catching fire amongst the parts of her that had been weary from her travels. She was born anew in that moment, a fireball of hoping, straining combat. She a freior, a free-roamer, a free wolf in her own right...

And then the agony hit. A pain, much unlike any the female had ever experienced before, zig-zagged from where the alpha had latched on. Blood trickled steadily down her chest, speckling her silver with a deep, striking crimson hue. Chalandra, in all the current endeavors for a wolf like herself, had never been one for fighting. She knew hunting well enough, with survival being the pinnacle reason for doing so, but being of the hunted had never fallen to become something she knew. It was a fresh anguish, lacing her like poison as she absorbed the feeling of another wolf tearing into her. It was mind blowing, how the blood just kept falling, how the misery of such an act didn't dull with time. Her attempts to get out from underneath her tormentor slowed considerably as moments passed, and Chalandra began to struggle with the physical pain rather ungracefully in comparison to how she dealt with verbal accusations and attacks.

The alpha obviously hadn't been satisfied with her inability to fight. Again and again claws ran across her sides, more scratches and scrapes that made Chaladra flinch. Every once in a while the hits would have less than stellar aim and a new scratch would bleed from her face or neck. Chalandra would snarl her feelings and the bite would intensify which drove her into a muteness that soon had no end. The silver she-wolf then froze. The glimmering outside world slowed, her motion to leave halted. Silence lapped at her ribs, her heartbeat threatening to stop completely. This was all because of him. Because she'd become too attached, because she'd broken her own damn rule, because she had instinctively followed the misgiving, beating organ in her ribs instead of her head. Nirco wasn't here to save her from this new hell. If she was honest, he never really had been. He's not coming...</sub>

[⋆Ravɛn]

SINEAD

The satisfaction that Sinead felt when the lithe, silvery body crumpled beneath her weight was almost overwhelming. Her teeth connected with the fur just beneath the base of the she-wolf's fur, hard and firm like a mother would hold an out of line pup. But then, the slender body began to twist and contort as the vixen began to struggle. Admirable, Sinead decided, but still no less annoying. Satisfaction faded from her bones quickly, leaving only irritation and weariness in it's wake. No more child's play.

Sinead squeezed her jaws harder, until her teeth pierced through skin, and the metallic taste of blood washed over her tongue. The harder that the she-wolf fought, the harder Sinead bit and clawed, heedless of the fur and flesh that she was marring. It had been so long since she had relieved her pent up stress and anger, and unfortunately for the she-wolf, it swelled inside of her like a tidal wave. Her own steely growls ripped through her chest as she fought against the stranger's resistance. And then, just when Sinead was beginning to think that she would really have to maim the vixen to teach her a lesson, the silvery body slumped into the dirt and silence fell around them. After a long moment, Sinead loosened her grip just slightly. She wouldn't let her up yet, but perhaps later, if she behaved.

All anger was gone from Sinead now, replaced with a sort of cool calculation that was more frightening than rage had been. As much as she would have liked to drag this wolf to Auktion Rock, kicking and screaming if need be, she had more important things than humiliation on her agenda. As it was, only Merona inhabited Einheit. Perhaps Sinead could whip this vixen into shape, with a lot of time, and a limited amount of patience.

After another long moment of thought, Sinead released her grip on the scruff of the vixen's neck. Her claws still dug into flesh, but she shifted so that only half of her weight rested on the wolf beneath her. "I'm going to get off of you now," she said, slowly and deliberately to ensure that she was heard clearly. "If you try to run, I will catch you, and you will wish you never had." Her voice was steel, harder than she had made it in months. Sinead didn't consider herself to be cruel...unless she needed to be. She was an alpha, a queen; she could not show weakness.

She rolled away from the she-wolf, taking easily to her feet. Curling her lip in disgust, she glanced down at the blood that soaked into the dirt, dancing away from it as if it were not worthy of touching her toes. And now, Einheit has tasted blood under my rule. She couldn't bring herself to be happy about this, but there was certainly a tinge of pride. Briefly, she licked the dirt and grime from her silver-gold pelt before she took a position in front of the she-wolf, pinning her with her calculating gaze. She made sure that her stance radiated dominance, from the tilt of her head all the way down to the upward position if her tail.

"Since you decided to waltz into my territory and so boldly disrespect me, I think you should make Einheit your home. As a sklavin," she clarified, her tone making it clear that she wasn't offering options. "I sincerely hope you can deal with sweltering days, freezing nights, and scarce resources. Einheit will not grant you mercy, nor will I."

She let her words sink in as she glanced around thoughtfully. "There's another sklavin here. Her name is Merona. She's mute, and I'll only warn you once: if I see you ridiculing her or giving her any issues, you'll be punished." She cast a scathing glance in the she-wolf's general direction. "She could teach you a thing or two about respect."

There was nothing else that she could think to add, so she sat back on her haunches and dragged her tail across the earth. "Now, why don't you start by telling me your name?"